Latest Area News Headlines

WORTHINGTON – Nobles County Commissioners on Tuesday once again tabled any decisions on the stairs in the government center, this time so they could get more information from the low bidder, Wilcon. Steve Johnson, of Vetter-Johnson Architects, has been in contact with the company, who said they are looking for ways to cut costs on the project.

The conundrum the commissioners face is getting rid of the trip hazard in the stairs in the government center – the lip that protrudes from each step – and getting the stairwells up to code without making such significant changes that they...

WORTHINGTON – The Worthington Water and Light Commission discussed the possibility of a non-essential water ban Monday, but as of yet, nothing has been put in place. This time around, there has been talk of implementing a ban in stages, according to Worthington Public Utilities Manager Scott Hain, because the wells are two feet, two inches below average, but not at critical stages.

Discussed were phases in water restrictions, such as odd/even lawn irrigation, attended watering, limited hours of watering, or a total ban on non-essential use. No action was taken on the matter.

WORTHINGTON — Sanford Worthington Medical Center has announced that Reed Fricke has recently become the director of Outpatient and Ancillary Services, which encompasses the departments of Laboratory, Imaging, Rehabilitation, Respiratory Care and Ambulance Services.

Fricke earned his bachelor of science in radiation sciences degree in 2006 from University of Nebraska Medical Center. He also earned his master’s in business administration from Southwest Minnesota State University in 2010.

His career with Sanford Worthington Medical Center began in September 2008 as the radiology...

WORTHINGTON - The City of Worthington is currently in the process of developing an Active Living Plan to help make the city more pedestrian friendly. The first public meeting will be at 5:15 p.m. March 19 at the Worthington Fire Hall, 830 2nd Ave, Worthington. During this meeting, local issues and concerns regarding walking and biking will be discussed. This information will be summarized and will help create potential goals that will be discussed at the second public meeting. Public participation is a critical component of the plan. If you cannot attend the meeting, you can still...

WORTHINGTON – A fifth candidate for the Worthington City Administrator job has been identified as Greg Boe, the Senior Community Development Specialist in Scott County.

Boe, who has been in that position for more than 14 years, has an MPA and a certificate of public management from the Minnesota State University in Mankato, along with a Bachelor of Science in Toxicology, Science and Chemistry. He had oversight of a $1 million household hazardous waste building for Scott County, cut program operational expenses by 33 percent while expanding levels of service to county residents and...

WORTHINGTON – Four of the five finalists for the Worthington City Administrator position have accepted interviews for March 6 and 7, and the Brimeyer Fursman has now released the names of those four candidates.

Three of them are very familiar to the community and area.

Mike Cumiskey recently retired after almost 15 years as Worthington’s Public Safety Director, Steve Robinson has spent the last six months as Worthington’s Director of Public Works and Randy Thompson has been the Executive Director of the Worthington Housing and Redevelopment Authority for more than two years...

WORTHINGTON – Cases argued in front of the Minnesota Supreme Court can have far-reaching consequences or sometimes affect only the people directly involved in the outcome. Every now and then, people simply want to know how it ended up. Such may be the case of the State of Minnesota versus Roger Schmid.

On October 1, approximately 1,000 students from southwest Minnesota listened in as the Minnesota Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the case. Twice a year, the court hits the road, and this fall, they ended up in the gymnasium of the Worthington High School. Students from all...

MANKATO -- Minnesota Department of Transportation has reopened a section of Highway 169 that was closed about an hour Wednesday morning near Seven Mile Creek County Park.

The closure was necessary while crews cleared power lines from the road after a vehicle struck a pole.
MANKATO -- Minnesota Department of Transportation has closed a section of Highway 169 about a mile north of North Mankato.

The section between Nicollet County Road 28 and Highway 295 is blocked by downed power lines in the Seven Mile Creek County Park area

WORTHINGTON - Reserved seats for the Worthington High School performances of “Anything Goes” at Memorial Auditorium Performing Arts Center, 714 13th St., are available at the box office from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays or by calling (507) 376-9101. Tickets may also be purchased online until noon Friday at friendsoftheauditorium.com.

Shows are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. District 518 activity passes will be honored for the Sunday performance only. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended to avoid long pre-show lines.

WORTHINGTON – As of Tuesday morning, it wasn’t very noticeable from the front, but progress is definitely being made in the demolition of the old K-Mart portion of the Northland Mall. The gaping hole in the back where the building meets the main mall section is growing slowly as the crew clears away debris.

Getting to this point has not been easy or quick. Knocking down a building that isn’t yours is not something that can be done overnight, even after it is declared hazardous, which it was back in 2013. A search warrant related to a drug investigation had been issued for the...